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Stone has decided his singular purpose in life is to care for Doctor Robotnik.
This is a decision he had made long ago, only mere months after being assigned to the volatile genius as his personal assistant; but as the days pass in the Crab and his beloved Doctor continues to remain sedentary (he dares not say lifeless, it hits far too close to the memory of dredging a limp and mangled body from the rubble of a destroyed mech and waiting several long agonizing months to hear the Doctor's voice again), his decision is further cemented.
He's reminded of this purpose as he runs warm water for a bath, humming quietly to himself. While he's far from thinking he could convince Robotnik to bathe himself in his current state — he had given up that fight long ago — the hot water would soothe the Doctor's frequently aching joints and sore muscles, and he knows from experience he can at least coax the other man to sit in the water with that promise. It wouldn't be quite the same as a full bath or shower would be, but at least it would rinse off some of the grime.
Once the tub is filled, Stone dips a hand in the water to ensure it was to the Doctor's preferred temperature — just under scalding. The water is perfect, so he pulls himself to his feet from where he'd been kneeling beside the tub and makes his way over to the Crab's linen closet. He retrieves two towels — Robotnik's favored terry cloth robe, as well as a second towel to use as a bath mat. Once the towels are deposited in the bathroom, he makes his way to the Doctor's quarters; lately, it was hard to anticipate whether Robotnik would want a fresh change of clothes after a bath, but Stone always prepared a set just in case.
Once a clean pair of sweat pants and a comfortable shirt are folded and placed on the lid of the toilet, Stone finally makes the short trek to the Crab's living space to begin his attempt to coax the Doctor into the tub. He stops just to the side of Robotnik's recliner, where the genius sits in front of a rerun of La Ultima Passion. A rerun he's not actually watching, Stone notes mentally; the Doctor's eyes are dull and vacant, a sight that tugs hard on the former agent's heart.
At least today, he muses silently, there won't be much of a fight.
"Doctor," Stone says quietly. No response comes from Robotnik; the only indication that he has even heard his assistant is his gaze, now the slightest bit more focused, as it slides over to meet Stone's own. "I've run a bath for you, if you'd like to get in while the water is still hot."
Robotnik is silent as he contemplates. After only a few moments, his gaze slips from Stone's back to the TV again. "Don't wanna," he mumbles, voice rough from lack of use. Stone sighs softly, his shoulders sagging slightly; the Doctor almost never takes him up on the offer first try, but it never fails to disappoint him.
"At least let me wash your hair, sir," he prods gently, glancing at the knots twisting among the overgrown ginger strands. Stone recalls, briefly, a time in his childhood where the orphanage was particularly neglectful due to too many kids and not enough staff or funding. There was a period of time where his hair was neither cut nor cared for, and he was too young to know how to care for it himself. It grew in thick and curly, and with no adult available to comb it or to teach him how to do so, it very quickly grew matted. The mats were more than a little uncomfortable; they grew to a point where they tugged at his scalp painfully. By the time his predicament was noticed, the only solution the staff had any time for was to just shave it all off. He almost hated being bald more.
Though Stone knew by now that Robotnik had no particular qualms about being bald, the last thing he wanted to do, especially in the older man's current state, was take any decision away from the Doctor, no matter how small. That's why he had even allowed Robotnik's hair to grow long enough to tangle in the first place; Robotnik was in no position at the moment to care for his appearance, but he might be in the future, and it wasn't Stone's right to make that decision for him in the meantime. Maybe when he's feeling better, he'll decide he likes it long. For now, the former agent's main focus is keeping the Doctor comfortable, and at the moment, that meant ensuring his hair didn't become a point of discomfort.
There is another silent moment of contemplation from the Doctor before he finally grumbles out, "Fine."
Stone's shoulders sag again, this time in relief; if there could be any silver lining to the Doctor's current state, it would be how little he fought against Stone. Though he'd rather see Robotnik lively, even if that meant near constant push-back against his suggestions, he couldn't deny the relief he felt whenever the Doctor gave in so easily.
"Thank you, sir." His voice remains quiet as Robotnik stands. The other man wobbles slightly, still a bit unsteady on his feet even after months of recovery. Stone slips an arm easily around Robotnik's waist to steady him; the Doctor says nothing, but Stone can tell by the deep downturn of his lips that his struggle with movement still bothers him.
As the two men hobble their way to the bathroom, Stone silently mourns the loss of Robotnik's usual ire. The silence is heavy without the Doctor's usual quips; he can almost hear them echoing in his ears, sharp protests of I'm not an invalid, Stone, I can walk on my own. He would do anything to get the Doctor back to his usual self.
Once they reach the bathroom, Stone lets go of Robotnik and steps back, gesturing towards the tub. "You can get in if you'd like, or you can sit against the edge and lean your head back so I can wash your hair. Whichever you prefer."
Robotnik doesn't respond, merely shucking his robe off of his shoulders. As his hands move to the hemline of his shirt, Stone turns around to afford the other man some semblance of privacy; the necessity of seeing him naked in order to help him bathe didn't mean he had to watch the man undress, even if Robotnik was unsteady on his feet. He had the sense to sit on the toilet to take his sweats off, Stone knew; besides, if he fell, it wouldn't exactly be silent.
Thankfully, the next sound Stone hears is not of the Doctor tumbling to the tile floor, but merely a quiet utterance of his name. He turns to see the other man bare, looking off to the side to avoid Stone's gaze. He's quick to help Robotnik into the tub to hopefully ease some of his discomfort, offering a hand for the genius to use to hold himself steady as he climbs in.
Once the Doctor is situated, Stone shifts to kneel beside the tub, grabbing a cup he had placed off to the side. As he turns back to Robotnik, though, he pauses. The older man has sunk into the tub so that only his head from the nose up is above the water, the rest of his body submerged. He looks relaxed, content, an expression Stone only ever gets to see in this specific context. The Doctor looses a sigh as the warm water eases the various aches along his body, and something inside Stone softens. Moments of genuine contentment within Robotnik are so rare lately that seeing him so relaxed and happy causes the ever present ache in Stone's chest to lessen momentarily.
Silently, Stone sets the cup down on the edge of the tub and shifts so he's sitting flat with his legs crossed instead. After everything he had been through, Robotnik deserved a few moments of uninterrupted peace. Stone was more than content to observe the Doctor as he waited. He watches with a small smile as tension slowly melts out of Robotnik's form, the older man relaxing against the back of the tub as the water works it's magic on his battered body. Idly, Stone's gaze drifts to trace the various scars now littering his Doctor's previously unmarred skin.
He tries not to see every mark as a personal failure, a dereliction of duty.
Stone has switched to admiring the Doctor's freckles to distract himself from the scars when Ivo finally straightens up again. The older man releases a heavy sigh and then silently gestures to the cup Stone had set aside. He doesn't need to speak in order for Stone to understand; let's get this over with.
The former agent is quick to oblige, shifting back onto his knees and grabbing the cup. The ends of the Doctor's hair are wet from relaxing, but the top of his head was still dry. Stone dunks the cup into the water and then gently nudges Ivo's forehead. Once the older man obediently leans his head back, Stone pours the water over his scalp to wet the rest of his hair.
Once it's wet enough, Stone grabs the shampoo, lathering a small amount between his hands and then gently massaging it into Robotnik's hair, starting at the ends and moving up to the scalp. Perhaps he spends a little longer than necessary massaging his scalp when Ivo sighs softly and tilts his head back against the feeling, but Ivo wouldn't know.
Once the shampoo is massaged in and then subsequently rinsed out, he repeats the process with the conditioner. It should probably sit longer than it does, but he knows Ivo hates lingering in the tub.
Once the conditioner is out, Stone leans over to pop open the drain before pulling himself to his feet. He helps Robotnik do the same, and then carefully helps him step out of the tub. Once he's out, Stone immediately grabs his terry cloth robe and wraps it around Ivo's shoulders; no need for the Doctor to feel exposed any longer than necessary. As Robotnik pulls his arms through the sleeves and wraps the towel around himself, Stone gestures to the fresh pair of sweats and the t-shirt he'd picked out.
"If you'd like fresh clothes, I prepared some for you, sir. Just let me know when you're dressed and I can help you back out to your chair."
Ivo merely grunts in response and Stone turns around, clasping his hands on front of him as he waits; ever the dutiful assistant, despite their relationship being far from professional.
As he hears the rustle of clothing behind him, Stone closes his eyes and listens carefully for any hitch of breath or skid against the tile to indicate Robotnik was losing his balance or slipping. Thankfully, he hears none, and soon enough the Doctor makes a soft noise to indicate he's done.
When Stone turns, he feels a small sense of satisfaction at the sight of Robotnik in the fresh set of clothes rather than what he'd been wearing before. Small victories.
Wordlessly, he slips an arm around Robotnik's waist again to guide him. The Doctor clings to the back of his suit jacket with his hand (and really, he knows he doesn't have to wear his suit anymore — it's not like G.U.N is around to enforce a dress code — but something had to remain familiar for the Doctor's sake, and it was the only thing he could control) as Stone guides them through the bedroom and towards the living room.
Just as they get to the bedroom door, though, Robotnik utters a single word — "Bed."
Stone is quick to comply, turning them so the Doctor could hobble to his bed instead. Once they're close enough, he lets go of Ivo's waist so the other man can climb into the bed. Once he's settled, with the blankets tucked around him and his pillow fluffed, Stone softly says "Goodnight, Doctor," before turning to leave the room.
Just before he takes a step, though, Robotnik's hand shoots out and circles around his wrist.
Stone turns back around, surprised. Just before Ivo's face flattens into something more neutral, he sees a flash of something he doesn't quite recognize in his eyes. It's gone before he can puzzle it out, though, Ivo's expression quickly shuttering. In the next moment, he releases Stone's wrist.
"Never mind," the Doctor mumbles, pulling the blankets tighter around himself and rolling over so his back is to Stone.
Stone's expression softens; even now, far from feeling like his usual self, Robotnik still struggled to display any conscious sign of weakness. It didn't matter that he was hardly an intimidating force these days; he still couldn't bring himself to ask Stone to stay.
It was a good thing he needn't ask.
Wordlessly, Stone sheds his suit jacket and removes his tie. Then, after toeing off his shoes, he carefully crawls into the bed beside Robotnik. While he debates with himself whether or not it was appropriate to sling an arm around his boss, Ivo makes the decision for him, turning over and throwing an arm around Stone himself just before burying his head in the younger man's chest.
Stone smiles and curls his arm around Robotnik's back, holding him close. The Doctor clings to him, as if Stone would vanish the second he let go. His fingers curl tightly against Stone's button up, and Stone could almost swear the Doctor was shaking.
Suddenly, he understands what he'd seen in Robotnik's eyes when he'd turned around.
It was fear.
Stone tightens his hold on Robotnik, pulling him as close as possible and squeezing him tightly. Truthfully, it made sense; if Stone had spent 8 months in complete isolation on another planet with no way to get home, he'd probably be terrified of being alone, too, not to mention whatever else had gone on in the Doctor's life.
He rubs a hand down Robotnik's back, the touch light and soothing. "I'm not going anywhere, sir."
Ivo just clings to him tighter.
Neither man says another word after that. Stone allows Ivo to cling to him as tightly as he needs to for as long as he needs to, silently running a hand up and down his back to soothe him. It takes a while for the Doctor to calm, but Stone doesn't mind; the Doctor's body is a comfortable warmth against his own, and he'd stay like this until the sun rose if he had to.
Only when he feels the Doctor's body relax and his breath even out does Stone finally relax himself. He doesn't untangle himself from Robotnik; he's concerned if the other man wakes up alone after such a display, he'd have some kind of meltdown. Instead, he burrows deeper beneath the covers, his arm remaining tight around Robotnik, and settles in for sleep himself.
He'd had other chores he'd planned to do that night, but they could wait; the Doctor's needs superseded anything else, and it was clear he needed this.
Stone continues to hold tight to Robotnik as he feels himself drifting off. Tomorrow likely wouldn't be any easier — depression doesn't cure itself overnight — but for now, he was content that the Doctor was warm, clean, and safe snuggled up against him.